Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale (2006) | Stone Brewing

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Reviews by frothyhead:

After a year and a half or so stored in a closet I decided to pour this one before it got too old.

Pours a cloudy amber/brown/red into a snifter with not much head to speak of. A little off-white ring around the glass. No lacing.

Nose is malty and boosy. Bready yeast, caramel, some apricot, a hint of chocolate. Smells more like an old ale than a barleywine.

Mouth is full bodied with minimal carbonation. Thick and velvety with an alcohol burn and dryness in the finish.

Taste is malty and straight up alcoholic. This one has a pretty rough burn. Some caramel, chocolate. Bready. Some bitter and citrusy hops in there, but I think they've faded quite a bit at this point or are at least overshadowed by the alcohol bite.

Drinkability takes a big hit as this is a serious sipper - the alcohol bite and lingering dry, bitter finish slow this one down quite a bit.

Overall I'm enjoying this but not as much as some nice fresh, hoppy barleywines I've had recently. This is my first Old Gaurdian, so I'll be interested in looking back on this when I crack a bottle of the 2008 I have in the fridge. There is something rather intangible about this 2006, though, that is going to make me inflate the scores ever so slightly. As it warms, the flavors are melding a bit and, even with all the strong flavors bursting about, it is balancing out in a way that makes it an enjoyable beer to drink.

More User Reviews:

Appearance  This is an innocent-looking orange with some light brown coloring. The head almost blew up at the pour but settled quite nicely.

Smelll  Yes, the hops are definitely taken aback from previous years. The malts are sticky sweet. They are very broken down and probably would not respond well to prolonged aging. This is good as is. The booze is in the background but not to be forgotten.

Taste  This is so much bigger at the taste. The hops first of all, which were all but AWOL at the nose, are huge. They are a complex mix of sharp fruits and light pine with maybe a bit of herbalness.

The huge malts from the nose are at first hard to find at the taste. But, there they are, soaked in alcohol and drenched in this, hardy fruit syrup. This is a heavy-hitting, complex flavor profile that will keep the note-keepers very busy.

Mouthfeel  This is almost full in the body with some surprising carbonation and a mild alcohol sting in the cheeks.

Drinkability  This is very drinkable with no aging. I wouldnt say that its sessionable  hahaha  but if you HAD to drink a party keg it would be a task worthy of the most faithfull BA.

Another great year for Old Guardian. The beer poured a burnt orange color with a thickness that could definantly be felt. The head was nice and thick as well, and stuck to the glass like glue. Big alchoholic fumes were there in the smell as well as a good dose of malty sweetness and a bit of citrus in the background. This beer went down a little eaiser at this young age than ones in years past. The big alchohol flavor was still there but it was mixed better with the orange and sweet malt flavors of the beer. There were some faint hops but they could not break through the malty exterior. All in all one of the best OG's I've had and definantly recommended.

22 oz 2006 bottle. Pours a glowing reddish orange with a medium off white head that goes to a thin film.

The aroma is sweet and spicy candy-like caramel with some hoppiness and a bit of watery DMS. It's kind of metallic and phenolic as well.

The flavor is spicy caramel and a strong watery alcohol with a sharp and spicy bitter alcoholic finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth with light carbonation.

Overall, not so great. It's too alcoholic and not very complex. I wonder if this bottle might be a little bad (especially from the smell). I've had it once before and remember not being impressed though.

Bomber, allowed to warm a bit and then poured in a goblet. Nice deep darkish almond amber, clear, with a minor tan head and leaving fine, rich and scattered lacing. Nose is of mellow malts and some alcohol. Waves of malt, warming alcohol, honey, smokey, vinious and of course, heady stuff. Smooth, coating, world class sipper/Night capper. What can be said beyond this is yet more wonderful beer from the left coast's Stone Brewing Co. Plus Stone puts this out @ $5.50 for a 22 oz. bomber ( Purchased at New Beer in NYC) Truly a bargain for world class BW. Wish I had the set up to put a case away every year for a few years...

Picked up a couple of these at Bauer for an unbelievable cheap price...lets just say over $2 less than some other place I frequent.
Dark mahogany in color with 1/4 finger of bright white head...very little sporadic lacing remains.
Mellow in the nose...but filled with raisins, cherries, bubble gum and fruity hops.
Splendid flavor...enough sweetness to prove a malt bomb and fruity hops, just enough heat to feel the alcohol, but very well hidden for 11% plus.
Thick mouthfeel and the carbonation is fantastic for the style...bomber goes down too easy.
I remember someone stating how this year's offering was on tap at the release in NJ as "raw" and needing to cellar for a while...while I am sure this will be simply phenomenal with a year on it, it is so delicous right now.

This beer has a sweet malty aroma. I can smell some fruits, like prunes, dates, or raisins. Also, I can smell the 11.20 % ABV. Not much hop aroma, but that is likely because all the other aromas are so strong, that a slight hop aroma would be missed. I think this ight have one of the best aromas I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

This beer tastes wonderfull. Obviously, I can taste some alcohol, but that is only just the begining. It has a pleasent malty sweet flavor. I taste some dark fruits. Wow, this might be the best Barley Wine I have ever had!

This beer is full bodied. It goes down surprisingly smooth. It leaves a malty sweet aftertaste. Carbonation is low, to fit the style.

I could probably drink this beer all the time if it wasnt for the high alcohol content. Although the flavor is aggressive, it is still very pleasent. I think I will have to pick up about a case of this beer soon. I wonder what a few years will do to this wonderfull beer.

Pours a hazy dark copper color with a cream-colored head that leaves decent lacing.

Smells of moderately sweet caramel malts with good amounts of smooth vanilla and hints of leafy hops. Also present are small amounts of oxidation-induced sherry.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Mildly sweet caramel malts up front are joined quickly by slight vanilla with hints of sherry. Midway through leafy hops come into play, carrying through to a mildly bitter ending. Mouthfeel is very good, with grainy carbonation.

Overall the last five years were kind to this beer, however I still prefer this beer fresh. Worth a shot if you like lighter hop influence in your barleywines.

This year is my first in trying Barley Wines.
Ok...I like them...and enjoy the differences between them.
This old Guardian is surprisingly smooth...
Pours a med redish orange with a small head that ends up very fine lacing.
Aroma is only lightly hops....heavier on citrus and toasted malts.
Mouthfeel is pleasant with it's very fine carbonation.
Taste is slight orange....a little toasty...then nice hop bitterness ending in a grapefruit tang. Nice alcohol warming on the finish.
I enjoyed this one and was surprised at it's mild smoothness with no aging. I can definately drink this one "green" and will be interested in how it matures (If I can restrain myself enough to cellar some for a year.

Really wanted to cellar this bottle for a year or two, but I cannot resist opening it as I've been very interested in Stone stuff lately. Will have to buy multiples and age a few. (Thanks to jabocu for the trade)

A good pour offered a nice big creamy head but it thinned very quickly. Color is an amber/copper, a more reddish hue than most barley wines I've seen so far. Very very mellow bubbles.

Smell is citrus and dark fruits, pine, molasses, cherry Twizzlers.

Flavor is hot and medicinal, with hops giving a grapefruit wang and a butter/caramel/malt sweetness adding balance. It's a little acidic, not as smooth as I'd hoped. Maybe aging is just what this needs. Adds a pleasantly sticky mouthfeel in the finish, mightily enjoyable.

All Stone beers I've had so far have been absolutely delicious and this is no exception. But I do come away with two thoughts 1) there are barley wines out there with more depth, and 2) this would probably be better with some age on it.

Pours a beautiful apricot, very little head retention - all carbonation is is in suspension. Awesome. The brew appears gelatenous.
Smell is a delicate interpretation of malt kissing a fig.
Taste is a close encounter with the smell, but the hop is quite evident.
This is what you would characterize as a lip-smacking barley wine. Clean, refreshing, yet entertains a malt complexity.
Nicely done, because if I had a six pack, I wouldn't have anything left to cellar tomorrow.

appearance: served in a hopleaf tulip, bright amber body, autumnal highlights...light beige ring with very light lacing. Its not as aggressive on the eyes as i would have imagined

smell: sweet malty nectar, notes of a once-bitter hop profile come through after the brown sugar and alcohol whiffs fade...2 years out from the release of this and the aroma is a bit messy

taste: This Stone release has a big malty center and heavy notes of nut and fig...brown sugar, alcohol, and a fading bitter hop profile make this a very powerful ale. This is good, but not great....i much preferred the 04 version and hope the 05 i have will be drinking nicely

Appearance  The color is a clear but dark reddish brown. The head is small but a nice beige color and it leaves lacing all over my glass. Something about the look of this one is almost sophisticated.

Smell  Up front alcohol aromas are dominant. There is toffee, caramel, bread, wood, and a bit of citrus hop. I did not find the scents overly strong until it warmed though. Good here.

Taste  It begins very sweet with brown sugar, toffee, and caramel flavors. Not surprisingly this is accompanied by alcohol. There is some citrus hop up front that leaves a slight bitterness. The finish is slightly woody with pine arising. Its a well balanced ale and very tasty.

Mouthfeel  It has chewy feeling with a slightly oily texture. The carbonation is quite noticeable.

Drinkability  Good. Its very strong but its smooth as hell.

Like this beer a lot. It was a great experience and I must thank my Father for bringing it to me from the states.

Pours a fairly thin orange, with a hint of red. about a 1/2 inch head in the snifter, but almost no head when poured in the goblet.

Strong nose of alcohol and hops (pretty much what i expect from a Stone brew).

Taste was different than i expected - very little hops, smooth creamy malts coated the palate. Tasted quite a bit of vanilla, which i think mixed well with the strong alcohol presence (the alcohol was weird - very mild up front, but quite strong in the aftertaste).

Fairly thin for a barleywine (others seem to have commented on this as well).

From the first sips, it seems like it is worth every penny. This is one of those mystical beers that seems to rarely show up on the East Coast. Anyhow, as I was reading the label wafting cinnamon and warming fennels overcame me. Needless to say I stopped reading and started drinking. Mellow, mellow, mellow on the tongue. Not too spicy, not too numbing. Perfect.

At 11.20 this is obviously a bear- beware! This could quite possibly the easiest drinking high ABV beer I've ever had. Simply wonderful. This is one is definitely one for the cellar.

A: Pours a dark mahogany red with a big 2+ finger rocky tan head that was moderately lasting.

S: malty and dry with pine and dried grapefruit.

T: some dark caramel and dried fruit with some toffee sweetness. There was only slight alcohol hints and otherwise was hidden nicely. There was some dark molasses, rum raisin and a soothing dark roasted nature.

M: creamy and smooth with a full body. There is a slight stickiness from the sweet malt and hop resins.

D: An easy drinking and very enjoyable barley with a good complexity of dried fruit and Chinook hopping.

I have 5 years (2006-2009, 2011 Belgo) of a six year vertical. Time to dig in with oldest to newest (and maybe I'll come across a 2010 to complete things).

A: The barleywine is cuprous, amber with a darker nature. Still transparent, the ale has plenty of sediment suspended mid-glass. A quarter finger of eggshell white head reduces quickly, just a thin band with no lacing.

S: Thick and meaty, the malts are intense and focused. No simple malt bomb, the hops are powerful even after five years. Syrupy thick like molasses. Flowery hops, citrus-tinged, still jump out.

T: First sip: overpowering hops. Second sip: overpowering hops. Third sip: See one and two. Caramel and molasses, thick and heavy, bog down the taste. Perking it up, the flowery citrus hops zing with power. The ale is quite peppery, hot even. Both the hops and the malts are huge, restoring balance to the force. Booziness is present, sandwiched between the hops and the malts. Age has worked wonders; this beer could have lasted another 5 years I think.

M: Syrupy and rich, both the hops and the malts contribute to the strength. Rich caramel lingers alongside the hops; a decadent barleywine.

Bottle courtesy of Hogtownharry: Poured a reddish color ale with a small foamy head with minimal retention. Aroma of sweet malt is pretty intense with some discernable hops on the top. Taste is dominated by huge sweet malt on the border of being disgustingly too sweet. Finish is hoppy but not overly so and provide a nice balance with the malt. Alcohol is well hidden. Overall, this is a nice example of an American barleywine and something I would probably seek again.